A Vietnamese court has sentenced 11 individuals to death in connection with one of the country’s largest drug trafficking cases. A total of 227 people were implicated, with others receiving sentences ranging from 18 months to life imprisonment. Among those sentenced to death is Ha Dan Nam, identified as the ringleader of the drug trafficking network, who orchestrated the smuggling of narcotics from France into Vietnam. The case originated in March 2023 with the discovery of over 10kg of drugs hidden within dental casts carried by a Vietnam Airlines employee arriving in Ho Chi Minh City from Paris. Nam allegedly concealed drugs within various consumer goods like food and household products, utilizing passengers, crew, and postal services for transport, recruiting Vietnamese citizens living in France. The network laundered approximately $1.1 billion using encrypted messaging apps and bank accounts opened under false names, and twenty individuals received life sentences for roles in the distribution and sale of the drugs. Vietnam remains one of the world's top executioners, with the government maintaining secrecy around the number of death penalty cases.